A Taxonomic Study of the proclia Group and Allied Species of Aphytis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from China, with Descriptions of Two New Species.

The genus Aphytis (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) comprises ectoparasitoids of scale insects and includes many species of biological control importance. The proclia group is a major lineage within this genus, with seven species recorded in China, along with two morphologically closely related species. Based on specimens collected from Fuzhou, Fujian Province, we identified four species: A. hispanicus (Mercet), A. pinnaspidis Rosen & DeBach, and two new species, A. latarcuatus Wang & Huang, sp. n. and A. denticulatus Wang & Huang, sp. n. The two new species are described and illustrated, and host associations and distribution records for all four species are summarized. A complete checklist and a morphological key for the 11 Chinese species of the proclia group and its morphologically similar species are provided. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on partial COI and 28S rDNA sequences support the delimitation of the two new species and reveal a distinct lineage comprising A. pinnaspidis and the two new species which are excluded from the proclia group. This study presents the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of Chinese members of the proclia group and its allied species and highlights the value of integrating morphological and molecular evidence in species group-level taxonomy.